#BikeIsBest Advocacy Digest - Edition No.05
#BikeIsBest Digest Edition No. 5 | Wednesday, March 16th 2022 | View in browser
Hello and welcome to this springtime edition of the #BikeIsBest Digest - covering e-bikes, money and breaking down barriers. This weekend marks the start of spring in the northern hemisphere, the days are getting longer and many people will be looking at the bikes in their sheds - or their local bike shops - and thinking about going for a ride.
Of course e-bikes are a great way of enabling people to cycle more and longer, and our latest #BikeIsBest report highlights the power of e-bike subsidies to help cut car journeys, tackle health inequalities and generally help save the planet.
BIG STORIES FOR CYCLING ADVOCACY
AN E-BIKE INVESTMENT IN TIME…
Our very own #BikeIsBest research, with the University of Westminster, found 67% of Brits interested in e-cycles are put off by the price, half of whom would likely buy one with a £250 subsidy on a £1k machine. A national network of decent cycle routes, with mass e-bike uptake, would enable 25% of all commutes to be cycled, and #BikeIsBest calls on ministers to facilitate this greener, healthier future with a purchase subsidy.
SOME CASH FOR E-BIKES
Was announced this week, including £40,000 for machines to populate a last-mile delivery depot in Cheltenham, and £517,124 for ‘try before you buy’ e-bikes and e-cargo bikes in Uttlesford. It’s a small start.
MEANWHILE, CARS COST A LOT
Motorists underestimate the cost of car ownership, and policymakers and planners underestimate cars’ social cost, a German study in Ecological Economics finds. Over an average vehicle’s lifetime this can range from a whopping €599,082 to a colossal €956,798 (£504,067- £805,049) - rivalling housing costs for low-income groups.
HISTORY REPEATING?
Cycling historian, Carlton Reid, reminds us of the 1970s oil crisis’ role in catalysing what is now the world’s greatest cycle network - and the doubling of cycle sales to more than a million per year. Will today’s oil crisis lead to a similar revival in the UK? Meanwhile, the Dutch Cycling Embassy shows what Utrecht is like for cycling, 50 years on.
OTHER HEADLINES
BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS
The BBC’s Harriet Bradshaw chats to Muslim women in Scotland who took up cycling in their 40s about how they got there and these Hijabi riders want to empower more Muslim women to cycle. As one interviewee put it: "Not worrying about future generations, destroying the earth. That goes completely against our faith.”
REDISCOVER YOUR LOCAL BIKE SHOP ON APRIL 30TH
In partnership with the Association of Cycle Traders (ACT), #BikeIsBest is encouraging bike shops to host 'ask us anything' sessions, designed to offer new and returning riders the chance to have their burning questions answered in a welcoming and friendly environment. If you'd like to learn more or find a store near you, visit ACT's store finder for more info.
Find a store
INTERESTING GRAPH OF THE WEEK
Not so much a graph as a graphic. Fox Lane Low Traffic Neighbourhood in Enfield will be made permanent. Cycling in the area has increased 121% according to a local councillor, with traffic volumes within the neighbourhood reduced by 72%.
Source: Enfield Council Report
ACTIVE TRAVEL WORD(S) OF THE WEEK; SHARED-USE PATH
According to the latest government guidance, LTN1/20, pedestrians and cycles should only share a 3m wide path with less than 300 pedestrians an hour. Above that, users need separate lanes.
Until next time,
Founder, #BikeIsBest
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